Returning Favors
by SchmidttenForever
Summary: Kendall is sick. Katie is there to take care of him. An innocent fluffy one shot. Sibling fic!
1. Chapter 1

Hey, guys! I was watching Big Time Rush earlier, and the adorable relationship between Katie and Kendall inspired me to write this fluffy one shot. I am not abandoning my other fan fiction, "Old Friends", but I am taking a short break from it to pursue different genres of fan fiction for BTR. Please review!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything!

It was beautiful day in the Palm Woods (actually below 90° for once!) and Katie Knight was happily playing her Nintendo DS. Mrs. Knight was at the store, Kendall was still asleep, and the other three boys were thankfully already at the pool. Sure, Katie enjoyed harassing her brother's friends, but they could be really annoying at times…and Carlos always ate all of their food. Carlos was fun to play with and all, but he needed to stop eating so much…. besides, he hogged the swirly slide all of the time! Logan was smart, but a little crazy. She loved Kendall, but she knew he overworked himself sometimes by trying to be the leader of the group. Last but not least, James. Katie was pretty sure that James owned more beauty products than her mother did. If you combined the four of them…they were nuts, but they were a lot fun. She'd rather hang out with those crazy boys (or pull pranks on them) than hustle Palm Woods residents out of their money.

Katie glanced up at the clock and noted that it was far past her brother's usual time to wake up. Knowing that he would freak out if he slept in past rehearsal time, or some important shenanigan with his friends, she paused her game, hopped off of the bar stool, and headed towards her brother's bedroom. Turning the doorknob to Kendall's room Katie was met by the strong smell of Downy fabric softener (she knew he used more than the recommended amount when he washed his bed sheets). She padded over to the big lump of blankets and gently shook what she figured was his shoulder, eliciting a soft groan coming from the comforter.

"Time to wake up, Kendall. You're burnin' daylight, dude!" she said. No response. Katie sighed and shook him a little harder. He brought his head up and out from underneath the blankets, and blinked rapidly at the bright light coming from the window. Katie went to ruffle his hair but she was caught off guard by the warmth of his forehead. She knew from plenty of experience that a warm forehead usually meant a fever. Naturally, her concern for her brother diminished all traces of her previous irritation with his lack of cooperation.

"Are you feeling okay, big brother?" she asked. Katie was trying not to sound too concerned (for the sake of her reputation) but she was failing miserably as she noticed the sheen of sweat covering Kendall's face. He closed his eyes and shook his head. Katie frowned, "Be right back" she said. She went into her bedroom and called her mom, who was luckily still at the grocery store and was available to talk to her daughter . Katie listened very carefully as her Mom told her what she would need to do. As for Mrs. Knight…she was going to have to turn her shopping cart around and grab some more items for her sick son. Katie hung up the phone, grabbed her cell phone (her mom wanted updates on Kendall while she was still at the store) and then grabbed the thermometer from the medicine closet in the hallway. When she got back into Kendall's bedroom…he wasn't in his bed. Confused, Katie walked into the main room only to see the bathroom door slightly ajar. As she approached the door, she heard the familiar sound of the agonizing act…the act of violently expelling one's stomach contents. Wincing in sympathy, she texted her mom.

**Kendall's puking**. Katie sent the text and waited for her brother to come out of the bathroom.

A pale and shaking Kendall came out about ten minutes later and he looked helplessly at his sister, green eyes bright with fever. Katie did not want to look at him pitifully but she couldn't help it. She always felt really bad when her brother became ill. Because when Kendall got sick…he got REALLY sick. Katie took her brothers hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before leading him back to his bed.

Once Kendall was settled underneath the thick layers of his blankets, Katie popped the thermometer into his mouth and waited patiently for it to beep. She could not help but grimace at the 101.9° that was blinking up at her. With help through text messages from Mrs. Knight, Katie managed to get Kendall to take some Ibuprofen for the fever and she found a bottle of 7-Up to set next to his bed.

After getting Kendall everything Katie thought he would need, Katie got up and closed the room-darkening curtains and then climbed into her brother's bed. She would sit with him until her mom got home… just in case he needed anything. Honestly, she was not expecting Kendall to turn onto his side, slip his arm underneath her, and pull her close against him as if she were a teddy bear. Katie could not help but smile to herself as she snuggled up against her brother, returning the embrace. He kept his arms around her though and she heard him sigh softly, his breathing deepening as he fell asleep. To be squished up against a very warm, sweaty, sick and unconscious Kendall had not been on her list of things to do today, but she stayed with him. Katie knew that if roles had been reversed, Kendall would have stayed with her. She knew that he would have, because he had done it plenty of times before. Kendall had done everything for her - took care of her while she was sick, let her sleep in his bed when she was upset about Dad leaving, and sang to her on those sleepless nights. Proud to have the chance to return the favor, Katie made herself comfortable and stayed with Kendall while he slept.

_-Thirty minutes later-_

"Katie?" Kendall whispered tiredly.

"Yeah?" she replied, her voice slightly muffled by his shirt.

"Thanks." he said.

"Anytime, big brother." she said, smiling. Sighing, Katie closed her eyes and let herself fall into a light sleep.

Katie started awake when she heard her mom arrive home and she quickly glanced up at the clock. Had she really gone to sleep for twenty minutes? She looked over at Kendall, who was still in a deep sleep… but he looked a tad better than he had earlier. Trying not to jostle the bed too much, Katie gently squiggled out of both Kendall's arms and the ten pound weight of blankets. Hoping he really was asleep, she placed a soft kiss on his forehead before leaving to help with the groceries.

Ten minutes later, the apartment door flew open and the other three boys came running in. Mrs. Knight and Katie both put their fingers to their lips, signaling them to be quiet and the boys looked confusedly at them…well, at least two of them. James' attention had been quickly grabbed by the fresh pie that Mrs. Knight had picked up from the grocery store bakery. Grabbing the entire pie and a fork, James made himself comfortable on the couch to eat his food. Mrs. Knight explained Kendall's situation to the other two and their expressions quickly turned to worry. Katie could almost see Logan's doctor-like brain diagnosing her brother. Carlos looked worried, but was seemingly more interested in the giant package of fruit smackers that was sitting on the counter. Katie smiled as she watched James devour the pie, and Carlos and Logan head towards Kendall's bedroom to check on him. That was when Katie realized that she thought of those three boys like big brothers. Of course, she was never EVER going to admit it, but she loved Logan, Kendall, Carlos, and James very, very much.

**End**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all of the reviews/support…and thank you SO much for all of the favorite story adds! I really appreciate it! As requested, here is another chapter to complete the story. Hope you enjoy it.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything! **

-_That Night_-

Katie stirred in her a bed as the sound of voices reached her ears. Lifting her heavy eyelids, she glanced tiredly around her room. Nobody was in her there, but light spilled into her room through the small opening in the door. Panic rising in her chest, Katie jumped out of bed and ran out of her room and into the bright living room. No one was there either. Her heart pounding with worry, Katie went back down the hallway and towards Kendall's bedroom. Bright lights shined from his room as well and the voices grew louder as she approached the room. Katie pushed Kendall's door open all of the way and was met by the sight of Carlos, Logan, James, and her mom surrounding Kendall's bed.

"What's wrong? Is Kendall okay?" she exclaimed, her silent entry making the four people nearly jump out of their skin. Mrs. Knight rushed to her daughter and embraced her "I'm sorry if we scared you, hon. Kendall's just got a really bad cough and it woke all of us up at the same time." Relief flooded through Katie when she heard her mom's words. As Katie's heart rate finally slowed down, she approached her brother's bed, pushing past Logan in his pajamas. Kendall looked a lot worse than he did before she had gone to bed. He was sitting up in his bed underneath blankets - pale, sweat soaked, and looking utterly exhausted.

"Katie? Did I wake you up, too?" he said, quickly coughing as the act of speaking irritated his already tortured lungs. Katie winced as his painful coughing lasted for what seemed like hours. She had to admit, his selfless worry about her amount of sleep, while he laid in bed, miserable, irritated her a little. When was he going to start worrying about himself once in a while?

"No. I was up already." Katie replied when Kendall's coughing finally died down. Katie's reply was technically true…she woke up because of everyone TALKING about his coughing and THEN she heard the act itself. Did he expect her reply to be "Yep. You woke me up while you were gasping for air, you miserable brother"!

Mrs. Knight sat down on the bed next to Kendall and wrapped her arm around his shoulders. Kendall was too miserable to care that he looked seven years old as he whimpered and leaned into his mother's embrace. James, Carlos, and Logan were still standing around his bed, not knowing what to do to help their friend and leader. A few minutes of awkward silence passed between all of them before Katie spoke up, "Mom? Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked. Mrs. Knight nodded, propped Kendall up on some pillows, and then followed her daughter out into the main room.

"What's wrong, Katie?" Mrs. Knight asked.

"Is Kendall gonna be okay?" Katie asked, worry evident on her face.

"Of course he will be, sweetie! This bug is just going to have to run it's course first. From what Logan and I can tell, his fever has pretty much reached it's peak, so we're hoping it will break tonight. If he gets plenty of sleep tonight, he should be on the mend by morning. It's that cough that's going to annoy him the most." her mother answered. Katie nodded, glad for the reassurance. Mrs. Knight hugged Katie and they both went back inside of Kendall's room. Logan had taken Mrs. Knight's place and was gently patting Kendall's back as he continued to cough. When Kendall managed to get oxygen, he realized how awkwardly everyone was standing around his bed… at 2:00am.

"Alright, you guys. You can go back to bed. I'll be okay." Kendall said, his voice hoarse. Mrs. Knight's jaw almost dropped to the floor, "I don't think so! Someone will stay with you tonight." she said. Kendall nodded, knowing better than to argue with is mom. "Will…will Katie stay with me?" he asked shyly. Katie felt her cheeks grow hot as everyone's attention turned to her. With his best friends and his mom as options to stay with him…Kendall had chosen her? Katie nodded. "Okay", she said. Realizing how tired they actually were, Carlos and Logan headed back to their bedrooms. "Get some sleep, buddy" James said, patting Kendall's shoulder. Kendall nodded and bid his friends goodnight. Mrs. Knight hugged him and kissed the top of his head, "Goodnight, sweetheart. Just yell for me if you need anything." she said. "Thanks, mom" Kendall replied. Mrs. Knight left and Katie climbed into Kendall's bed. He curled up against her and buried his head against her side. Mrs. Knight had given him some medication for his fever, but she could still feel the warmth of his skin through her tee shirt. Sighing, Katie wrapped her arm around him hoping, _praying_, that he got some sleep. The night was long and filled with agonizing coughing fits - during which, Katie could only sit and rub her brother's back comfortingly. Needless to say, they were both going to need naps tomorrow.

When Katie woke up, she was horribly uncomfortable. Why were her pajamas sticking to her? Feeling hot, she flipped off the blankets, noticing that they were damp as well. She looked over at Kendall, who was spread out on top of the bed, his pajamas clinging to him. Katie placed her hand on his forehead, smiling at how cool to the touch it was. Yep, his fever had broken. Realizing that her clothes were damp with _her brother's sweat, _Katie got out of bed and left to take a shower.

Katie took a shower, got dressed, and had breakfast while Kendall slept. Mrs. Knight had been very happy to hear that Kendall's fever had broken, so she let him sleep in for as long as he needed. James, Carlos, and Logan had left this morning to tell Gustavo that Kendall was on the mend, but would need another day or two off to recover.

Later, the bedroom door opened and Kendall staggered out. His hair was standing on end, his clothes were wrinkled beyond recognition, and he looked like he needed a four hour shower. "Kendall! How are you feeling?" Mrs. Knight exclaimed, happy to finally see her son vertical. "Much better." he replied, accepting the glass of water she handed to him. Katie walked over and hugged him. "I'm glad you are feeling better, big brother" she said, smiling. Kendall smiled at her, "Well, I had help from an excellent nurse." Katie beamed and hugged him again. Mrs. Knight watched them from the couch and smiled. Yeah, she had the best kids ever.

**End**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **Thank you for the reviews, everyone! Due to a request, I composed this chapter for you guys to explain _how_ Kendall became ill, so it is set 30 hours before chapter one. I hope you guys like it!

**Disclaimer**: I still don't own anything…

**Warnings: **This chapter has quite a bit of angst.

**The blankets were warm, the entire bed was filled with the scent of Downy fabric softener, six fluffy pillows surrounded him, and Kendall had to leave it all to go to work. Grumbling, he turned off his beeping alarm and stumbled out of bed. Leaving his warm, soft bed was the hardest thing to do on mornings when he was tired like this…which was every morning. Kendall had been up until 2:30am working on a paper he needed to write for history class, and now, at 6am, he was paying for it. He had gotten into a habit of going to school before the other three boys, so he could sit and work on last minute papers in the park. Kendall needed better grades and he was willing to sacrifice sleep for it. However, now his entire body hurt and it felt like someone had thrown a bucket of sand in his eyes. Maybe he should have given himself a break this week. Kendall peeked out into the living room to see if anyone else was up yet, but the room was empty. That was good…if his mom figured out that he had only gotten three and a half hours of sleep, she would strangle him! **

**Kendall showered for a very, very long time, before getting dressed in his usual attire; dark blue jeans, a black tee shirt underneath a green button up, and his vans. He glanced at the mirror as he headed to school. Well, he certainly wasn't ready for a Pop Tiger photo shoot, but it was going to have to do for now. **

**Kendall crossed his arms in front of chest, trying to look casual while he attempted to warm himself. Why was it so cold today? Every breeze felt like icy whispers chilling him to the bone. The sun was shining, though, and that at least helped a tiny bit. Kendall looked up at an electronic billboard - it was supposedly 48****°. That was several degrees below the average morning weather for Los Angeles, but he should be used to it since he was from Minnesota! Oh well, maybe he had gotten accustomed to the unbearably hot weather in California. As the day went on, he would warm up…hopefully. **

**Kendall had never hated the Palm Woods school full-blast air conditioning so much before. Why not just stick him in a freezer! School was not going so well, either. On the way to Algebra I, he had accidentally bumped into one of the school bullies - which could not end very well for Kendall later. Also, after staying up SO LATE for that blasted history paper…his teacher had given him a D+! Neither Gustavo nor Mrs. Knight would be pleased about that. Besides, what kind of brother was he to start failing in high school? He could already picture the sad, pitying look that Katie would give him when his mom got his report card. Some role model, huh? Nearly falling asleep during science class, getting a terrible grade on a history paper, and being grumpy about the weather being cold…nice. Kendall hunched over in an attempt to protect himself from the wind and started walking briskly past the pool, so he could find a sunny spot in the park. He needed to be at the recording studio in forty-five minutes, but he needed to sit somewhere warm for awhile. Kendall just really hoped that Carlos, Logan, and James would not question his unfriendly behavior towards everyone. **

"**Hey, Kendork!" someone yelled. Oh, how much he hated that nickname! Kendall turned around, ready to start throwing punches. He was SO not in the mood to be picked on right now. The bully whom he had bumped into earlier, Randy, was standing behind him, looking unhappy. **

"**Look, man, I'm sorry for bumping into you, earlier. It was just an accident. I don't want a fight." Kendall said. **

"**Oh, yeah? Well, then…maybe I'll just 'accidentally bump' into you!" Randy seethed. Before Kendall could register what he meant, Randy pushed him roughly, causing Kendall to lose his balance and plunge into the cold pool. **

"**Kendall!" James shouted as he, Carlos, and Logan arrived just in time to see their friend go under the water.**

**Fatigue impairing his swimming skills, it took Kendall several tries to successfully keep his head above the water and do the dog paddle. James set his books down and knelt next to the pool, holding his hand out for Kendall, who was more than happy to accept it. With a bothersome amount of ease, James lifted Kendall out of the water and onto the cement. **

"**I'll go get some towels!" Carlos said, strapping on his helmet and running back in to the hotel. Logan looked around angrily for the perpetrator, but Randy had already left. **_Wise choice_, **Logan thought. Carlos came back and handed Logan the pile of towels. Muttering his thanks, Logan began to wrap the towels around his sopping wet friend. **

"**I-I'm o-okay, g-guys." Kendall spoke, his teeth chattering. **

"**Obviously" James replied, miffed that Kendall would blow off such a thing. Carlos slapped the back of James's head at his rude sarcasm. **

"**Knock if off, you guys!" Logan ordered, continuing to wrap Kendall tightly in the towels. Kendall looked six years old as he sat curled up on the pavement, shivering and wrapped in dozens of towels. **

"**Come on, I think you have some spare clothes in your gym locker." Logan said, helping Kendall to stand up. Nodding, Kendall used his friend for support as his legs attempted to take him to the gym lockers. **

"**Come on. Come on!" Kendall whispered as his shaking fingers refused to cooperate and unbutton his shirt. Several minutes later, he managed to remove his two shirts. Kendall shivered as the cold gym locker air chilled his wet, bare skin even more than it was already. As for removing wet jeans, well, that took about ten minutes. Kendall grimaced when he saw his spare clothes: gray jeans, vans, and a white tee shirt. He really needed to start packing warmer clothes for emergencies. A total of twenty minutes went by before Kendall came out of the locker dressed in dry clothes, his hair still slightly wet. Carlos and James seemed happy that their friend was okay now, but Logan still watched Kendall carefully. He sincerely doubted that his friend really was okay. Nobody bounces back quickly after a bully pushes you into freezing cold pool water in front of a bunch of classmates. **

**-**Three Hours Later-

"**I gotta keep on believing**

**That everything takes time**

**I'll make up any reason**

**To make you mine **

**If you're stayin or lea-" The music behind them stopped as Kendall's singing was interrupted by a coughing fit. Gustavo sat behind the glass, growling. He needed this song to be recorded for Griffin by tonight! Gustavo turned on the microphone that led into the studio, "Five minute water break, Kendall. Then get your butt back in here." Kendall nodded his thanks and left the room. **

**Safely in the deserted men's bathroom, Kendall promptly threw up the small lunch he had eaten an hour ago. Yeah, he never wanted to see a salad again. When everything eaten that day was expelled from his stomach, Kendall collapsed against the bathroom stall floor. Great, being ill was the last thing he needed! After a few minutes of recovery, Kendall grasped the edges of the stall door and lifted himself into a standing position. Shaking and sweating, he washed his hands and tried to make himself look presentable…it didn't work. Maybe he could tell Gustavo that he needed to go home because he was ill. No…he was going to have to grin and bear it through the next three hours. He DID NOT have time to feel sorry for himself. **_Wimp_, **Kendall thought angrily and headed back to the studio.**

**When they were finally walking back to 2J, Kendall did his best to ignore Logan's perturbed look. Katie and Mrs. Knight were already in bed, thankfully, so Kendall did his best to cheerfully bid his friends goodnight before heading to his bedroom. Shaking like a leaf, Kendall quickly stripped himself of his clothes. Goose bumps covered his entire body as he dressed in a tee shirt and boxer briefs and he quickly jumped into his bed. He closed his eyes and pulled all of his blankets up to his chin. As his body throbbed, the room spun, and his teeth chattered, Kendall regretted not going home after his escapade with Randy. Kendall was going to get up and get some medication for the fever that he knew he had, but he quickly fell asleep.**

**The next thing he knew, someone was shaking him gently. Kendall groaned, unable to move at the moment. That's when a small, cool hand rested on his forehead. He leaned into the touch…it felt so nice. "Are you feeling okay, big brother?" a voice asked. Kendall had never been happier to hear his little sister's voice. **

**End**

Thanks for reading! Reviews make me happy and motivate me to write more stories! :D


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